Iconic US opera runs a gamut of emotions

One of the most famous and most covered songs in the opera is Summertime, which is a jazz-inspired lullaby, reprising several times throughout the opera.

"It is a great joy to have friends come from afar, goes the famous Confucian proverb," said Zou Shuang, artistic director of the festival in Beijing on Friday. "Beijing Music Festival has welcomed its most distant friends — the Cape Town Opera. The musicians traveled long distances from South Africa to meet with Beijing's audience, making the China premiere of Porgy and Bess happen."

The significance of this collaboration lies not only in its artistic achievement, but also in the spirit of international friendship it represents. The involvement of Cape Town Opera — a key institution in the preservation of South Africa's operatic heritage — demonstrates the power of art to transcend borders, Zou adds.

In this semi-staged version, involving the Beijing Music Festival, Cape Town Opera, and KT Wong Foundation, the production team used props and lighting effects to evoke the atmosphere of 1920s South Carolina, immersing the audience in the vibrant yet challenging world of Catfish Row, a dockside area of Charleston. The performances, complemented by the creative use of lighting to highlight key moments, captured the emotional depth of the story, while the orchestra played an integral role, interacting with both the singers and the narrative.

South African bass singer Otto Maidi plays the role of Porgy, a disabled beggar, who attempts to save Bess, played by South African soprano Nonhlanhla Yende, from her possessive and violent ex-lover.